Car-starter



(No Model.)

J. J. A. MILLER.

GAR STARTER.

Patented Nov. 26, 1889.

I U ITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. A. MILLER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CAR-STARTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,727, dated Nbvember26, 1889. Application filed September 7, 1889. Serial No. 323,385. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. A. MILLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at 0hicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Car-Starters, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to car-starting devices involving as a matter ofconstructionahandlever provided with a fulcrunnwhich is pivoted to thelever and made of such length that when resting upon the ground thelever can be operated for the purpose of starting a car.

The object of my invention is to render a device of such characterreadily applicable to and detachable from a car, to insure a directforward push of the car when the hand-lever is operated, to avoid injuryto the car, and to provide certain novel and improved details "servingto generally promote the serviceability of car-starters.

To the attainment of the foregoing and other useful ends my inventionconsists in matters hereinafter set forth, and particularly pointed outin the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents in side elevation aear-starter embodying my invention applied for starting a car, the carherein partially represented being a street-car adapted for a cablerailway or other street service, it being understood, however, that myimproved car-starter can be employed for starting cars of any character.Fig. 2 represents the application of my improved car-starter to a flator platform car. Fig. 3 is a perspective viewof my improved car-starter,with the fulcrum omitted for convenience of illustration. Fig. 4represents the same in side elevation. Fig. 5 represents the forkedportion of the fulcrum-piece.

The han d-lever A is provided with a swinging fulcrum B, which ispivoted to the handlever a comparatively short distance back from theforward end of the lever, so as to provide the latter with short andlong arms. The swinging fulcrum is of such height that when resting uponthe ground, as in Fig. 1, the lever will be so elevated as to permit itsforward end to be conveniently brought opposite the rear end of thecar-platform, and

as a means for adapting the fulcrum i n height to cars having platformsat different heights, the fulcrum is constructed with the two sectionsZ) and b, which can be adjust-ably held together in any suitable wayas,for example, the section b can be held in a socket in the upper portionof the section b by a setscrew or the like. The short arm a of thehand-lever carries an abutment-block 'O, which is hinged to the lever insuch way that the forward end of the lever shall be directly oppositeand abut against the rear side of said block. The lever is connectedwith the abutment-block by a swinging hinge-connection, herein shown asconsisting of pintle straps or leaves D, embracing and attached toopposite sides of the lever and connected with the abutment-block midwayor substantially midway of the ends of the latter by a pintle d, inwhich way the forward end of the lever can abut directly against theabutment-block and at the same time be capable of a free and powerfulaction. The rear side of the abutment is provided with a concave recess,in which the forward rounded end of the lever engages, as indicated indotted lines in Fig. 4, by which arrangement steadiness and reliabilityof action are attained.

For cable-railway cars and other street-cars I provide theabutment-block with a chain E, which may be provided at its outer endwith a hook, by which the abutment-block can be readily suspended fromthe dash-board and permitted to hang in position to lie directly againstthe rear end of the platform, as'in Fig. 1. hen, therefore, the lever isoperated by an attendant, the push of the lever will be directly againstthe abutment-block, which will in turn transmit the push directlyagainst the end of the platform without tendency to lift the same. Ialso provide the abutmentbloek with folding rests 0, consisting of armswhich can be either folded (swung) back within recesses c, Fig. 3, inthe front face of the block or unfolded (swung) out from the block to anextent to project at right angles therefrom. These rests permit theabutm entblock to be conveniently applied to a platform-car, as in Fig.2, wherein the rests are shown projected from the abutment-block andresting upon the top of the car-platform.

The swinging fulcrum B is preferably forked at its lower end, so thatwhen so desired it can be positioned to straddle a rail of the track, itbeing, however, a serviceable feature in case the fulcrum is positionedbetween the rails, since the two prongs when resting upon the groundwill steady the fulcrum and prevent it from tipping to either side.

hat I claim as my invention is- 1. A car-starter comprising incombination and arrangement the abutment block 0, adapted forapplication to a car, the hand-lever A, provided with a. swingingfulcrum B, and having its forward end arranged to abut directly againstthe rear side of the abutmentblock at a point between the ends of saidblock, and a swinging hinge-connection between the abutment-block andthe hand-lever, consisting of pintle-straps attach ed to said membersand embracing the forward ends of the lever, so as to permit its saidend to abut against the abutment-bloek, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the hand-lever and the abutment-block pivotallyconnected therewith, of the folding rests arranged to fold into andunfold from recesses within the abutment-block, substantially asdescribed.

JOHN J. A. MILLER.

\Vitn esses:

CHAs. G, PAGE, 'A. L. CoATEs.

